Qian Clan Trading Firm

That night.

Wang Shouzhe returned to the main residence in his carriage, wrote several letters, and had the family retainers deliver them to the various clans.

He promptly warned the families with whom they had closer ties, lest they suffered disaster and grew resentful of the Wang Clan for escaping unscathed. Even if they had already uncovered signs of the insect plague, it would not hinder the Wang Clan's gesture of goodwill.

Beyond that, Wang Shouzhe took only two family retainers and rode out through the night. After arriving at Dingpu Ferry, they secretly crossed the An River aboard a family fishing boat. By the time they raced all the way to Changning Guard City, dawn had only just broken.

Changning City's outline shone grandly and brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

Its walls stood over ten zhang high, built entirely from massive black stone bricks. Soldiers fully equipped with armor, bows, and crossbows stood watch upon the battlements. Every few dozen zhang, a giant ballista had also been emplaced.

Though Changning Guard was nominally only at the level of a county city, it was even more imposing and awe-inspiring than those famous cities on Earth.

It could not be helped. This world was not ancient China. Countless powerful demon beasts and savage creatures lived amid the perilous lands of the Outer Domain. Once a beast tide broke out, towering walls and fortified cities were humanity's only barrier.

Ping'an Town also had city walls, but compared to a citadel city, they fell short by an immeasurable margin.

The horses of Wang Shouzhe's party of three gradually came to a stop before the city gate. They dismounted and joined the queue of people hurrying into the city early in the morning. Most of those entering at this hour were commoners—farmers, petty merchants, artisans, and the like.

The moment they saw Wang Shouzhe and his retainers leading their tall horses, dressed in fine clothes, they instinctively stepped aside in deference.

In the Great Qian Kingdom, Profound Martial Aristocratic Clans were the privileged class. Even the most destitute minor aristocratic clan was beyond comparison to commoners.

At the eastern city gate.

Two fully armored soldiers came forward, inspected Wang Shouzhe's clan token, and respectfully ushered him into the city.

Once inside, he wasted no time. Leading his horse, he headed straight for the Qian Clan Trading Firm. The Qian Clan Trading Firm's business spanned Longzuo Prefecture; it possessed immense strength and an excellent reputation. The Pest-Exterminating Powder produced by the Purple Mansion Academy was handled primarily by the Qian Clan Trading Firm.

That business alone had filled the Qian Clan Trading Firm's coffers to overflowing, let alone the fact that Pest-Exterminating Powder was far from its only line of business.

After presenting the Wang Clan token, Wang Shouzhe left his retainers to stand guard outside. A gatekeeper led him into a side hall within the trading firm to wait. A maid served fruit, snacks, and tea before withdrawing.

Wang Shouzhe calmly sipped his tea and looked around. Even though this was merely a side hall of a trading firm branch, it had still been decorated with extravagant luxury. Screens and furnishings made from all kinds of precious timber, antique ornaments casually placed about—every item was worth a fortune.

Even with Wang Shouzhe's relatively "shallow" knowledge, he could tell how valuable the decorations in this side hall were. They were worth at least several hundred, perhaps even a thousand Qian Gold, displaying the Qian Clan Trading Firm's abundant financial power. It truly deserved its reputation as one of Longzuo's great dominant clans.

As a transmigrator, Wang Shouzhe naturally understood the Qian Clan Trading Firm's little psychological tactics.

After waiting for roughly a quarter of an hour.

A plump, fair middle-aged man whose face seemed to spell out harmony brings wealth entered. "The Clan Leader of the Ping'an Wang Clan has honored us with his presence in person. Qian failed to welcome you from afar. Forgive me, forgive me."

Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes. That seemingly casual greeting contained an enormous amount of information.

He had only become Clan Leader two or three days ago. Moreover, the Ping'an Wang Clan was currently in decline; even a change in clan leadership would not attract much attention. Yet the Qian Clan Trading Firm had not only noticed it, but had confirmed his identity within a quarter of an hour.

It truly was one of Longzuo's commercial giants. Its intelligence network was exceedingly formidable. And since this man bore the surname Qian and carried himself with uncommon bearing, he was most likely a blood relative of the Qian Clan.

"Not at all, not at all. Wang came uninvited, and it is already three lifetimes' good fortune for Manager Qian to receive me in person," Wang Shouzhe replied with equal courtesy and humility. This man surnamed Qian could not possibly be the shopkeeper.

The Qian Clan Trading Firm was vast in scale. Even the shopkeeper of the Changning branch was an important figure, and would not possibly come receive the Qi Refining Realm Clan Leader of a fallen clan like his.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two took their seats.

Even after sitting down, they did not begin discussing business. Manager Qian spoke with Wang Shouzhe of Ancestor Zhouxuan, then Ancestor Longyan, then Wang Shouzhe's achievement in passing the Purple Mansion Academy's preliminary examination. He spoke fluently, displaying how thoroughly he had done his homework.

Wang Shouzhe had grand designs for this visit, so naturally he could not show weakness. He chatted and bantered along with him, casually revealing logic and thinking skills somewhat stronger than those of the natives.

"What a pity, what a pity. With your learning, Brother Shouzhe, if you went to take the Purple Mansion Academy's retest, becoming an Academy disciple would practically be a nail driven into the board," Manager Qian said. Without realizing it, he had begun to regard Wang Shouzhe more highly. Half praising and half sighing, he continued, "The Purple Mansion Academy does not merely value cultivation talent. It also values the breadth of vision and bearing of its disciples. I believe that in your hands, the Wang Clan will sooner or later return to its peak, perhaps even climb a hundred-foot pole and advance another step."

"Brother Qian, please do not make fun of your little brother," Wang Shouzhe said with a bitter shake of his head. "We of the Ping'an Wang Clan seek only to survive in peace. We ask for nothing more."

Amid their mutual politeness, the two had already begun addressing one another as brothers.

"You are too modest, too modest. Speaking of which, Brother Shouzhe, you rushed to my Qian Clan Trading Firm through the night. Could it be that you have some major business to discuss?" After chatting for quite some time, Manager Qian finally could not hold himself back and steered the conversation onto the proper track.

At those words, Wang Shouzhe gently set down his teacup, his gaze calm. "As it happens, I truly need Brother Qian's help with this matter. I need five thousand bags of Pest-Exterminating Powder."

The moment those words left his mouth, Manager Qian's hand suddenly trembled. He stared at Wang Shouzhe in disbelief. After a long while, he forcibly suppressed his displeasure and said, "Could it be that Brother Shouzhe has come to make a fool of me?"

"Why would Brother Qian say that?" Wang Shouzhe remained utterly composed. "Surely such a vast Qian Clan Trading Firm does not lack even five thousand bags of Pest-Exterminating Powder?"

"Brother, do you know how much five thousand bags of Pest-Exterminating Powder actually is? One bag weighs roughly a hundred jin. Once diluted, it is enough for one hundred mu of fertile farmland. Five thousand bags would be enough for five hundred thousand mu of farmland." Manager Qian frowned. "Changning Guard and all the towns under its jurisdiction combined possess only around one and a half million mu of fertile fields."

"I know." Wang Shouzhe's expression did not fluctuate in the slightest, and his gaze was exceptionally earnest.

Manager Qian's expression gradually became rather splendid. "Brother, you are not joking?"

"Of course I am not joking," Wang Shouzhe said. "Though the Ping'an Wang Clan is merely a Ninth-Rank Minor Aristocratic Clan, we are not so ignorant of our own limits."

"Good, good, good! Brother, you have truly given this foolish elder brother a heaven-shaking surprise. I will take this deal." Manager Qian's expression brightened. "However, the Changning branch of the Qian Clan Trading Firm has only two thousand bags in stock. The remaining three thousand must be transferred from other branches, and that will take at least ten days."

"Why is the stock so low?" Wang Shouzhe frowned slightly.

"This is already quite a lot. In previous years, stock was basically cleared out," Manager Qian said seriously. "Because it involves the cultivation and production of raw materials, the annual output of Pest-Exterminating Powder is planned in advance. Last year, the raw materials had a bumper harvest, and production increased by more than ten percent. We originally intended to sell it cheaply to the various clans, but only a few were willing to spend money stockpiling it. Thus, by last winter, two thousand bags from this batch remained unsold in our Changning Guard."

"Brother, why were those clans unwilling to stockpile it while prices were low?" Wang Shouzhe asked casually.

"This..." Manager Qian hesitated briefly before saying helplessly, "Very well. This matter is no longer much of a secret, and many clans already know about it. Telling you will not violate clan rules. The medicinal herbs used in Pest-Exterminating Powder are grown in the medicinal fields of many aristocratic clans. Since the profits are good, more and more aristocratic clans have begun investing in medicinal fields. Output has risen higher and higher in recent years, while we have been lowering our purchase prices for raw materials. As for this winter's batch of Pest-Exterminating Powder, its output will likely... You understand. The larger the clan, the better informed it is."

Heh. Wang Shouzhe understood. It was overcapacity and market saturation. Though he was no professional in economics, his perspective and awareness still surpassed those of the natives of this fantasy world.

"In that case." After calculating for a moment, Wang Shouzhe said, "I want both the two thousand bags currently in stock and the three thousand bags of futures."

"Uh, Brother Shouzhe, what are futures?" Manager Qian did not understand the term at all. His round face was filled with confusion.